[Intertwined Souls 05.0] No Good Deed Read online

Zoe put her arms around her friend. “I’m so happy for you, El,” she said as she leaned down and spoke to Elena’s stomach. “Hey, little one, this is Aunty Zoe!”

  “You are a nutter.” Elena laughed and pulled Zoe up by the back of her shirt. “Tell me about the estate? I can’t believe Eva bought the Haskell Estate!”

  “Why is it hard to believe?”

  “Don’t you know the history of the place? I’m surprised at you! That estate has been vacant since the great war started.”

  “Why? What happened to the Haskell family?”

  “Zoe, I’m surprised at you. I thought you would have known about it. The place is cursed.”

  Zoe stared at Elena. “How can the place be cursed?”

  “Well.” Elena brought her chair closer to the table and rested her arms on the wooden tabletop. “The story is rather sad. I’ve never been there, but there is supposed to be this really ornate staircase.”

  “Yes, beautiful. I took one look at it and I fell in love. It flows and it reminds me of a little river. Eva wasn’t all that enthused. She doesn’t like stairs all that much, what with her back and all.”

  “That must be hard on her.”

  “It is, but the place is perfect for what we need it for, and it’s surrounded by bush—it’s very tranquil. There are so many rooms, but there’s a bedroom downstairs that overlooks the Pacific Ocean, and Eva fell in love with it. I love one of the bedrooms upstairs, but I think the one downstairs will be ours. It’s perfect for Eva.”

  “Well, that ornate staircase started the problems for the Haskells. It seems the first Mrs. Haskell fell down the steps and broke her neck. Mr. Haskell remarried a few months later.”

  “He was a little bit fast to replace her, wasn’t he?”

  “That’s what everyone said. They said the second Mrs. Haskell was a nice lady. Before long they had a baby, but the poor thing died at childbirth.”

  “That’s a lot of bad luck for one family.”

  “I’ll say. They had a second child and he survived, but then there was the Great War, he volunteered, and he died in France. Mrs. Haskell was so distraught…”

  Zoe sat back in her chair. “Let me guess, she fell down the steps?”

  “Zoe, this really happened!”

  “Sorry, go ahead. It sounds like a really bad wireless drama.”

  “No, she didn’t fall down the steps. She was riding her horse one day and it threw her.”

  “Hm, if I were writing this bad luck story, I would have had her falling down the steps.”

  “Zoe!”

  “What? Do you really believe this story?”

  “I do. That’s not all that happened in that house. Mrs. Haskell died after her horse threw her. Mr. Haskell was so overcome with grief that he shot himself in the stables.”

  “He must have been Greek. That’s so very melodramatic, and very Greek,” Zoe quipped, making Elena smile. “It is. Greeks are like that.”

  “He was English. We then had Mr. Haskell’s brother move in, and there were stories of ghosts and accidents. They left and the estate has been vacant since then. None of the Haskells wants to live in a haunted estate.”

  Zoe burst out laughing. “The estate is not haunted by accident prone Haskells! It’s been vacant for a long time and I would guess that this wild story made everyone leave it alone. Eva bought it very cheaply.”

  “Didn’t you buy it too?”

  “We did, but it’s listed under Lambros Steel.”

  “My goodness, Zoe. You’re a wealthy woman.”

  Zoe wasn’t all that impressed by the statement and shook her head. “It’s Eva’s inheritance.”

  “Isn’t it funny? You went to Greece on Eva’s insistence that you didn’t lose your inheritance, and it turns out she got hers too.”

  “Hm. An inheritance Eva didn’t even know she had but it did turn out better than we thought. We also came back with a much larger family in addition to the inheritance.”

  “Are all those boxes hers?”

  “All of them. Eva arranged for her uncle Wilbur to send some of her belongings from her old house, and some came from her Aunt Marlene’s house as well. There are dresses, hats, shoes, her amazing collection of opera and jazz albums, not to mention a few thousand books. She even has dozens of gloves. I never knew anyone could have more than a couple of gloves, but Eva does.”

  “Are you kidding about the books?”

  “Yes, she only has about two hundred and the rest are still in her room.” Zoe grinned. “You should have seen her bedroom at her grandmother’s house. One wall was this giant bookcase with all her favorite books. The only place where I’ve seen so many books is a library. Her bedroom was huge—more like two of our normal rooms here. All to herself, El. She had a porch that overlooked the city. Perfect for drawing. The art in that house was just incredible.”

  “I’m surprised her grandmother didn’t get rid of her possessions.”

  Zoe looked down at the watermelon in the small bowl in front of her and played with a small portion with her fork. “That surprised me as well. Eva’s room was just as she had left it in 1938.”

  “Was it emotional for Eva to be back in that house?”

  “A little bit,” Zoe replied before she pierced the nearest watermelon piece and put it in her mouth.

  “Eva doesn’t strike me as someone who came from such a wealthy family; she’s very down to earth. What happened to the evil one?”

  “Eva got a letter last week from her uncle Wilbur. Her grandmother was found guilty of war crimes and was sentenced to ten years in jail, but she suffered a heart attack and died soon after.”

  “Oh,” Elena exclaimed quietly. “What a shame she didn’t live to serve out her time.”

  Zoe glanced up at Elena, a tiny smile playing on her lips. “I was thinking that when Eva read the letter out.”

  “You didn’t say that to her, did you?”

  “Goodness, no. Eva was saddened by the news and I didn’t want to hurt her. Deep down, Eva loved her grandmother, even if the evil witch didn’t deserve it.”

  “What happened to Dieter Muller?”

  Zoe grinned. “He was sentenced for crimes against humanity and is waiting to be executed. One less evil bastard in the world.”

  “I think you rather enjoyed swinging that poker and caving his face.”

  Zoe nodded vigorously. “I thoroughly enjoyed it and also shooting him in the knee. Unfortunately, my aim was way off, but then it was dark.”

  Elena put her arms around Zoe and they laughed. “You are so dangerous, Mrs. Lambros.”

  “I am! I was even prouder of Eva, who faced that demon spawn and told him what she thought of him. She was so strong, El.”

  “That whole family sounds crazy. So it’s just Eva and Wilbur left?”

  “Yes. Eva owns AEMullerStahl along with Wilbur, and now we also have Lambros Steel here. Wilbur runs the business in Germany as he has been for many years, and he and Eva will run the business here.”

  “How does it feel to be so rich?”

  Zoe shook her head. “It’s going to make things a little easier. We won’t be scrounging around for loose change when the bills get too much for us. You know how it is. It’s going to be a good nest egg for our babies!”

  “Are you pregnant?” Elena asked excitedly.

  “No.” Zoe shook her head slowly. “I don’t know. I think it’s too early to say. I was hoping we would be pregnant together.”

  “How many times have you...um…”

  Zoe waited for Elena to finish the question, which was something very un-Zoe like. She was both amused and embarrassed at being asked about their attempts at baby making. “Are you asking me how many times I’ve had sex with my husband?”

  “Hm.” Elena’s face had taken a decidedly pink hue. “Yes?”

  “We’ve tried it six times now,” Zoe replied, feeling her face flush in embarrassment.

  “Does it feel strange for you?”

  “Yes,
and every time I feel like I’m cheating on Evy.”

  Elena gently slapped her head with her hand. “Um. Why do I ask you these very personal questions?”

  “Because you can.” Zoe chuckled and put her arm around Elena. “I think if we don’t get pregnant this month, I’m going to stop. I can’t keep doing this to Eva.”

  “I hope you and I have babies at the same time. It would be fun!”

  “Yes, I am looking forward to morning sickness and all the other good things that happened to you when you were pregnant with Rebecca and now with Baby No Name,” Zoe replied with a tiny chuckle.

  “Goodness, that won’t last long.”

  “I’m hoping that the next few weeks will show us if this is all worth it or we might have to stop.”

  “You won’t consider trying it like you originally wanted to?”

  Zoe grimaced and shook her head. “I was thinking about that. Aunty Stella says it can’t work, but my papa used that method with the animals, so I don’t see why it can’t work with humans.”

  “What if that doesn’t work either?”

  “We will adopt. Now that Eva is wealthy, she won’t have a problem with adopting children. She says the rich can get whatever they want. If we can’t do it the normal way, then we will have children another way. I want to give birth of our children because they would be ours by blood,” Zoe said quietly.

  “Won’t you still love the children you adopt?”

  “Of course, I would. There are so many children without parents but I want my babies to look like Tommy.”

  Elena smiled. “If they do, they will look like Eva.”

  “Exactly!” Zoe exclaimed and held up her fork with a piece of watermelon.

  “You could adopt children that have dark hair and blue eyes and they will look like Eva. It’s not impossible. I’m really glad you decided to get married before trying to have children of your own.”

  “That was Eva’s idea.”

  “You know how it is, Zoe.”

  “I know—single, unmarried mothers are seen as fallen women and all of that. I understand that.”

  “It’s better to be married and then fall pregnant. You don’t want the attention of the government on you. Now imagine my surprise when you came back from Europe with a husband!” Elena said with a slight shake of the head. “Speaking of your husband, how is Tommy at his new job?”

  “Pacifica Private Hospital with Aunty Stella is turning out to be a really good job,” Zoe replied as she took some water out of the refrigerator and poured it into a long glass. “They were very enthusiastic to have them both start immediately, and they have settled in quite well. It also didn’t hurt that Eva donated money to a new private wing of the hospital.”

  “Is that right?”

  “The Lambros Wing. It’s very fancy and all of that. They had Eva unveil the plaque last week. I’m not sure what it means to have a hospital ward with your name on it, but apparently that’s what rich people do.”

  “I don’t understand that either but then Australians are a funny people. How’s Tommy’s English?”

  Zoe waggled her hand. “Better than Theo’s,” she said with a chuckle. “He has some trouble with it, but if you talk slowly, he will understand what you are saying. He is a little hesitant to speak it, but he’s getting there.”

  “I can only imagine the happiness you must have felt when you found out Theo was alive.”

  “It was just so amazing. He rode his old motorcycle to the train to meet us and there he was. He won’t tell me what happened in the POW camp. He thinks a woman should never know the horrors of war.” Zoe shook her head, not quite believing her brother’s behavior. “I think he’s forgotten that I was in the Resistance and saw enough of the war myself.”

  “He’s your brother. He doesn’t want to talk about all the horrible things that happened. He wants to spare you.”

  “Hm.”

  “So many things happened to you over there. You missed the drama with Patty here. I’m glad you weren’t here to see it.”

  “I’m glad I wasn’t here to see it either or else Patty would have got a piece of my mind. Poor Earl. I never thought Pat would cheat on him. He was a lucky boy I wasn’t around.”

  “It wasn’t a good time.”

  “Aunt Tessa is fond of saying for everything there is a season and you just never know, it may be the season for Earl to find that special someone. Things may be looking up for our friend Wiggy.” Zoe looked over her shoulder with a sly grin.

  “Oh, no, you’re not doing that!”

  “Doing what?” Zoe asked innocently.

  “You are not trying to find Earl a special someone. You must stop trying to meddle!”

  “But I know the other fellow!”

  Elena’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Zoe. “Who?”

  “He is tall, and he has dark hair, blue eyes, this gorgeous dimpled chin...”

  “Zoe! For starters, Tommy is your husband and you can’t go playing matchmaker. He may not be interested in Earl.”

  Zoe laughed and shook her head slowly. “You have not been paying attention, have you? My dear husband has already fallen for the gorgeous Mr Wiggins.”

  “He has? How do you know?”

  “Tsk, what’s not to fall in heavy like with, El. Earl is tall, a thick mop of blond hair and those piercing blue eyes…”

  “Zoe, are you falling in love with Earl?” Elena teased making both of them laugh.

  “Nah, he’s too blond and too male but my beloved Thomas has fallen in heavy like and that’s why Earl and Tommy are destined to be together.”

  Elena groaned and slapped herself on the head. “Zoe, will you stop reading those romantic novels! How do you know Tommy is interested in Earl?” Elena shook her head and chuckled to herself. “Before I met you I never thought about homosexuals and certainly didn’t know any. Now I’m wondering if two of my friends are going to get together!”

  Zoe put her arm around her friend’s shoulders and grinned. “See, I have broadened your horizons, Mrs. Jacobs!”

  “You are hilarious and totally glorious, Zoe Lambros!” Elena laughed and kissed her friend on the cheek. “Now, how do you know Tommy and Earl are smitten with each other?”

  “When Earl showed up at the dock when the ship came in, if a bomb had gone off right next to Tommy, he would not have noticed it.” Zoe chuckled. “He kept asking Eva who that was and if we knew him.”

  “He didn’t!”

  “He did, my friend, he did.” Zoe chortled at the memory. “Eva and Tommy have the same glint in their blue eyes when they are excited. Even Eva noticed it, and you know how observant she is.”

  “I still can’t believe Tommy is Eva’s cousin but there’s no denying it. You just have to look at them.”

  “Uncanny, isn’t it? That look; dark hair, blue eyes and dimple is really a family stamp. Tessa, Eva and Tommy look like their great uncle Johan.”

  “I think it’s both uncanny and scary, if you ask me. That whole story about them is just amazing. Life is never boring with the two of you.” Elena picked up Zoe’s magazine and fanned herself.

  “Sometimes I think our lives were not meant to be boring. It’s just crazy.”

  “It is, it is. Did I tell you I got a letter from Mr. Gerber? He was so nice.”

  “Ah, that nice man we met at your old store in Berlin.” Zoe nodded. “Pass on our greetings to him.”

  “I will. He had some very nice things to say about you both.”

  “That’s nice. We did have a pleasant time with him. Have you thought of any names for the baby yet? Josef sounds nice.”

  “Early days, Zo, but you know how Friedrich is with names. He came up with Gertrude this morning.” Elena snorted. “He also likes Sigmund, but he’s not going to get it.”

  “Sigmund is nice,” Zoe said facetiously. “Are you still leaning toward Friedrich Junior?

  “No,” Elena replied. “Freddy doesn’t like it.”

  “Doesn’t
like his own name?”

  “He thinks it’s pretentious to call a child after you.” Elena shrugged.

  “What names do you like for a girl?”

  “I like Inga, but Freddy doesn’t.”

  “Why?”

  “He has bad memories of girls named Inga.” Elena chuckled.

  “Oh.” Zoe scrunched up her face and laughed along.

  “My point exactly.” Elena smiled. “What would you choose when your baby comes along? And you can’t say Eva.”

  Zoe grinned. She pursed her lips in thought even though she already knew what she would call her child because Eva had ‘seen’ them already. Had Zoe thought about it a little more, she would have figured out that Eva’s gift was there all along; it was just a matter of joining the dots, but she wasn’t looking to join dots. “Larissa.”

  “Larissa? Your hometown? I thought Eva hated Larissa.”

  “Yes, she hates the town, but our lives changed when we met there. The name means something to us both and it’s a beautiful name for a girl.”

  “I would think it would remind her of how horrid it was, but I do like that name.” Elena reached out and tenderly touched Zoe on the shoulder. “Let’s hope your monthlies don’t come soon. Where’s Eva?”

  “Work. She was very excited to get back to a normal routine. She hates surprises, and we got so many of them in Europe. Too much excitement. I don’t want her to work, but she likes it. She says she is helping people and that she enjoys it,” Zoe replied with a shrug. “After the trip we had, I think the Interpreter Department will seem like a holiday. She’s going to eventually leave and work at Lambros Steel. I think we can safely put the Haskells’ curse to an end. Their curse is going to be broken,” she added, making Elena laugh.

  CHAPTER 3

  “You have a visitor.” Debbie looked up at Eva, who had just passed her from the staff tearoom.

  “Who?”

  “All she said was that you are expecting her, and I’m not about to say no to this woman.”

  “Why? Is she the Queen?”

  “No, Queen Elizabeth is not in your office, but someone else is, and she has been waiting for you. Eva, stop asking me questions and just go to your office. Remember your meeting with Mr. Farmer at four p.m.”